FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT NATURAL DISASTERS - PAGE 2

Here are some of the things girls ages 8 to 12 say they worry about: 41% Worry about being made fun of. 31% Worry about being kidnapped. 27% Worry about being called names. 24% Worry about natural disasters. 23% Worry about being gossiped about.

Bangladesh, one of the poorest nations of the world, has offered to send tea for the flood victims of this country. We the Bangladeshies have never forgotten the love and concern of the American administration and, of course, the people during our natural disasters. We stand by our counterparts during their time of distress. God bless the United States.

Governors of both parties said Sunday that Bush administration policies were stripping the National Guard of equipment and personnel needed to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies. Tens of thousands of National Guard members have been sent to Iraq, along with much of the equipment needed to deal with natural disasters and terrorist threats in the United States, the governors said here at the winter meeting of the National Governors Association. Governors normally command the Guard in their states, but Guard members deployed overseas in support of a federal mission are under the control of the president.

Earthquakes and other natural disasters captured donations and headlines, but preventable diseases killed far more people-- 13million in 1999, according to a Red Cross report Wednesday. An estimated 150 million people have died from AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria since 1945, compared to 23 million in wars, said the World Disasters Report issued by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. "We need to make treating infectious disease a priority," said Didier Cherpitel, the federation's secretary general.

Generating business: Caterpillar Inc. said it is setting up a unit to tap the $250 million-a-year generator rental market, one it sees as expanding at 15 percent a year. The generators would be built at Mossville, Ill., and Lafayette, Ind. Caterpillar sees some of the largest demand coming from public events such as rock concerts and sporting events and from areas hit by natural disasters.

Lighting up a market: Caterpillar Inc. said Tuesday it is setting up a new unit to tap into the $250 million-a-year generator rental market, one it sees as expanding at 15 percent a year. The generators would be built at Mossville, Ill., and Lafayette, Ind., a company representative said. Peoria-based Caterpillar sees some of the largest demand coming from public events such as rock concerts and sporting events, and from natural disasters.

More couples are opting to buy wedding coverage. Natural disasters aside, many reception facilities now require liability coverage for out-of-control celebrations. Wedding planners often require insurance, too, in case of cancellations. Fewer than 1 percent of the betrothed purchase policies in the U.S., said Kyle Brown, executive director of the Bridal Association of America in Bakersfield, Calif.

Five Illinois school districts were awarded $1.8 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Education to bolster their emergency response plans, federal officials announced Wednesday. The largest grant in the state went to Chicago Public Schools, which was given $927,000 to train school personnel and students in emergency management and improve plans for responding to school violence, natural disasters and the outbreak of infectious disease.

Now that Hurricane Sandy has come and gone, wreaking havoc and destruction along our Eastern Seaboard, it was heart warming to see our allies and European countries coming to our rescue, like when we assisted Japan after their tsunami and all the aid we've given over the years assisting other countries when natural disasters struck. Oh that's right, they didn't. Once again the U.S. stands alone. - Steve Leamy, Chicago

Natural disasters often bring out the best in Americans. In response to the recent earthquake in California, President Bush spoke out immediately to assure us that billions of dollars will be made available to assist the victims. Our response seems to take for granted that 1) the victims of natural disasters are members of our community deserving of assistance, 2) provision of monetary resources is a reasonable response that is likely to alleviate suffering, and 3) the private sector, voluntary services and local governments are not adequate to redress the problem without involvement of the federal government that draws on resources from the entire national community.